46 replies to this topic

[lewskin]

Thought I would bump this to see if anyone has any updates/ results with this recently?

Lewis

[cynicsbringbalance]

thanks for the post!
I got my nose pierced in the middle of August, and maybe a month later, I got a 'bump'. I did some research and found out it was a hypertrophic scar. I did what is suggested for nose piercings; saline washes, tea tree oil, hot compresses, but nothing seemed to work. it eventually got considerably large, so i tried rubbing vinegar on the bump yesterday. I've only used it twice since, but already the bump is pretty much gone, and I'll probably only need to apply vinegar (with pressure) for a few more days. the only difference I've done, is apply the vinegar for 30 seconds, rub a minute, apply for 30 secs, rub a minute. mine bled profusely right away, and scanned over overnight.
thanks again, I'm pleased with the surprisingly short almost-recovery, and perhaps I'll post again when my scar is healed completely.

[rss]

I think this is one of the posts I read that lead me to a solution that has worked perfectly on all my hypertrophic scars. Just wanted to say thanks and add some steps that should help people.

I have tried I think every natural 'cure' before from tea tree oil to ACV to vitamin e and espsom salt baths and scar oils. Some seemed to reduce the scars but they would always come back.

I have used this solution on 18 hypertrophic scars and they have all disappeared and not returned after 6 months. Their only memory is a faint white flat scar for a few of them, only noticeable on close inspection.

Additional material needed - hydrocolloid bandaids. These are bandages that seal tightly and stick to a wound and form a gel coverage on the wound, causing them to heal faster. These are essential. They are slightly expensive but worth it, other bandages from my experience work no where near the same. Some brands are better than others, I found the house brand of Shoppers Drug Mart to work much better than a national brand. These bandages are about 60 cents each so a bit more expensive than normal, but for me to get rid of these scars is more than worth it. You can also cut up bandages and use smaller portions on different size scars - as long as it will stay on there securely and extend well past the edges of the scar.

Also it's best to have firmer not fluffy qtips, hard to explain but I found actual qtip brand not as good as house brand qtips. You don't want the qtip cotton falling apart in usage.

- Apply the vinegar with the qtip as before. Really soak the scar for a few minutes, it will start to soften up a bit. Use the dry end of the qtip to soak up extra vinegar that leaves the wound area or it will dissolve other skin.

- Begin rubbing the across the scar. The scar will slowly dissolve as you rub it. Rub in all areas of the scar.

- Warning - eventually you will hit blood vessels and it will sting a fair amount initially. It's not a steady stream of blood but more a slow porous flow from the areas the scar has dissolved. Use the dry end of the qtip to absorb excess fluids. You will probably need to use 2-3 qtips on a scar. The stinging seems to go away fairly quickly as the area numbs.

- Continue rubbing the scar and removing tissue until it is all gone and then some. What I mean is there should not only be all raised tissue gone, but you should remove the tissue slightly below the normal surface of your skin. I mean very slightly you don't need a big hole in your skin. Also go very slightly outside the edges of the original scar. What does this do? I don't know but one time when I left the slightest trace of the original raised scar tissue it didn't heal properly and I had to fix it again.

- When all tissue is removed, apply pressure to the wound with qtip(s) or other sterile bandage. This will slow the bleeding, it's not a lot but should be almost stopped before applying bandages. Might take 15-30 minutes to slow down. You do NOT want it dried up though.

- When bleeding has slowed, clean area with water and wipe dry with qtip.

- Apply hydrocolloid bandage, covering it completely. The reason I say the the wound should not be dried up because these bandages work best when absorbing wound fluid and forming a gel, keeping the wound wet and causing it to heal much much faster than normal. You may want to apply another bandage cross wise to secure the bandage on there.

- Leave overnight. The bandage gel will form. If the gel covers most of the bandage ie to the edges you need to change it. It has absorbed too much fluid and the edges will not be sealed to keep out bacteria and speed healing. Remove the bandage and apply again. In either case whether it needs to be changed or not, make sure there is a cross bandage keeping it on there securely.

- Leave it alone. For a long time. These bandages can be kept on for several days and seem to work best with the gel formation you get from an open wound. You can shower with them and they should stay secure but of course the more you expose them to the more chance they have of coming loose. I was careful in showers not to irritate them, if you can keep them from getting wet and soapy it's probably best.

- After 5-7 days re-apply a bandage. If there is still moisture from the wound that is good.

- After another 5 days re-apply a bandage. If it is dried up (most likely), applying the tiniest amount of polysporin on the wound. When I mean tiny, I mean you should be able to see the glimmer on the wound but not any volume to it, make sense? If you apply to much of it, it will spread to the edge of the bandage causing it to be unsealed.

- Continue applying bandages with polysporin for 30 days minimum. I read somewhere that plastic surgeons keep compressed bandages on for at least 24 days so that's where I got this from. Some I kept on for 30 days, some I continued for 60 days when they didn't look totally healed to me.

- Apply a very light coat of vitamin e every 2-3 days for 2 months following.

That's it, long message but it's not that complicated. I believe these bandages are essential to the proper healing, and keeping them on long enough. I removed one only a few weeks in when it seemed ok but it came back and I had to remove again. As I said I just have some barely noticeable flat scars in a few of the areas and most are completely disappeared. The skin is soft again in all the areas, no hard scars. To me it's a miracle after being plagued with the raised scars for years. I hope these instructions can help out others.

Another note - use these bandages on all future scars - they speed up healing and prevent scars.

[hypertro]

rss, thats very interesting. can you share more about your past hypertrophic scars, like size and location? also, what color were they when you removed them and how long did it take to get the scar tissue off? what % acidity white vinegar? any pictures?

i have some hypertrophic scars that i'd like to get rid of as well

[beentheredonethat1]

yeah RSS please share

[beentheredonethat1]

bump

[firststep]

anyone else tried it? i have so many raised hypertrophic scars on my chest and they are all red. rss, pictures would be very helpful if you have any. are they still red now after your treatment and after it healed up? did you do the 8 days or do you mean you continued to use the vinegar until you "dissolved" it all? thanks..